Redemption
by Honda Katsuya
Summary: Honda learns the hard way that you can't run from your troubles. [shonenai] Pairings: KaibaJou, YuugiBakura, OtogiShizuka, HondaJou [Updated!]
1. So we meet again

Redemption

"How did it come to this?" Honda sighed as he gazed at a picture of him and all his friends. The photo was wrinkled and had been torn in several places, fastened together with some clear tape. He dropped the picture on the table and wandered to the window of his apartment, looking out into the night. Years had passed since he'd seen any of them, especially after the move. He was 21 now and lived alone, with no contact from them at all. He held his hand to the glass and held back tears that threatened to fall. There was a phone in the apartment, but nobody ever called, not even for a wrong number. Honda wasn't sure if he was listed and even if he were, it would be long distance. He moved back over to the table and stared at the picture. Kaiba, Jounouchi, Anzu, Otogi and himself were in the background with Mokuba, Shizuka, Yuugi, and Bakura were in front. By the looks of it, Kaiba and Yuugi were frequently ripped from the picture as pieces were missing around the edges, but the whole thing had been torn in several parts once. His body tightened as he heard knocking on the door.

"Hey! I know you're in there! Have your rent check in my box before midnight or start packing!"

Honda smirked lightly, it wasn't as if he had much to begin with. Nobody wanted to hire him anywhere in the city. He'd already resolved to leave, but he had nowhere to go. He knew next to nobody in San Francisco or the surrounding areas. For the next hour or so, he gathered his clothes and few belongings into a bag. He grabbed the picture and shoved it in his coat pocket as he made his way to the door. He looked back once more and shook his head as he opened it and headed down out of the building.

The streets were dark and foreboding, it almost reminded him of home back in Domino City. Here there was nobody to protect and nobody to watch his back. He glanced around every corner warily and listened for the slightest footstep. The stars above could sparsely be seen through smog and the few lights flickered on and off. He wished now that he hadn't moved to America, it only made things worse. He had to live in the worst neighborhood and barely had a dime most of the time. Shadows moved around him and followed him. Honda smirked and shook his head, almost wishing he'd get attacked so he could work off his frustration. He made his way without incident to a lighter part of the city and glanced at a poster inside a game shop.

"Pegasus J. Crawford…" Honda blinked and tried to read the rest of it. Apparently Pegasus was in the city for a convention, but there was only one day left to attend. "Maybe…" He looked at the admission price and winced when he noticed it was twelve dollars to get in. He noted the address and began heading in that direction as he dug through his pockets to see what money he had. He scowled as he found only ten dollars and began searching the gutters for coins of any kind. By the time he reached the convention, he had found several dimes and some quarters. "People apparently don't keep a hold of their money well," he whispered. It was still dark and the building wouldn't be open for hours, so he hid behind some bushes and waited, slowly falling asleep. Soon he began to regret letting himself sleep. In his dreams, nightmares of the past sprang up. He saw Kaiba's mansion and Jounouchi following him without once looking back. Yuugi and Bakura were talking, but he could hear nothing, not even the laughter that followed. He felt like he was falling into a bottomless pit with no sign of waking up. He saw Shizuka holding hands with Otogi and watched them all go into the mansion, leaving him behind as he drifted farther away. 

Honda gasped as he jerked out of sleep, the sunlight glaring down on him. He tried to calm his labored breathing and stood slowly, wincing as he felt his neck out of place. He fumbled through his pockets and gathered the money as he walked around to the front door. He stepped inside and set his money down on the table. The woman at the table handed him a ticket without looking at him and scooped the money into the cashbox. Honda ran into the main room and caught sight of Pegasus waving to the crowds.

"…and tonight I'm heading back to Japan for the annual championships tournament. Good luck to those of you who are able to come." He headed for the back door to exit the building.

"Oi, oi! Pegasus!" Honda squirmed through the crowds and tried to reach him. The guards blocked him and started pushing him back. "Wait, I have to see Pegasus!"

"Hmm?" Pegasus turned around and blinked. "You, aren't you Yuugi-boy's friend?"

"I guess we were friends once, maybe. Yes, I'm Honda. I was at Duelist Kingdom with him."

"What do you need to see me for?" Pegasus waved the guards away and pulled Honda outside with him.

"I need your help to get back to Japan."

"Oh? Why's that?" Pegasus climbed into his limo and motioned for Honda to get in.

"I have nothing here, no money except what I just paid to get into that building. I have no friends and no job here. I can understand if you don't want to help me."

"Well, what happened to make you move here?" Pegasus waved for the driver to go ahead and head for the airport.

"Well, a lot of things, I guess. My friends all seemed to pair off and leave me alone, never having any time for me. My best friend, Jounouchi, I couldn't stand having lost him. I never told him how I felt about him, hoping he'd catch a clue now and then. I did nothing and let Jou slip through my fingers…and with Kaiba. That bastard stole Jounouchi away from me. Bakura knew how I felt and he and I were nearly always left out. I thought maybe I could hang around with him, but I found out he was dating Yuugi. I didn't so much care about Jounouchi's sister Shizuka, and I shouldn't have been so blind. She ended up with Otogi. I felt like they didn't need me anymore, so I saved my money and moved here."

"I can see why…" He gave a sad smile as he sympathized with the younger man. "Okay, I'll take you back to Japan."


	2. I can't take it anymore

Chapter 2

The grandfather clock inside Kaiba mansion struck 7am, but those inside were already awake. Seto Kaiba was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the morning news when Jounouchi stepped in. Kaiba noticed him, but said nothing as he continued to read. Jounouchi rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the rolls on the table.

"I know you see me."

"Yeah, so?"

"Never mind," Jounouchi sighed and left him alone, heading for the main room of the mansion.

"Hey, don't get crumbs on the couch, puppy!"

"Up yours!"

"Don't give me any ideas," Kaiba smirked and set the paper down to follow him into the other room. Jounouchi ignored him and grabbed his yearbook from the coffee table, blinking as a loose picture fell out. He picked the picture up to see all his friends and the Kaiba brothers and smiled faintly. That had been the last picture of them all together. He frowned and looked at Kaiba standing over him.

"You see them all the time."

"I see them maybe once a year, Seto. You bastard, why won't you let me invite them over? It's not like we'll run out of room in here."

Kaiba moved through the room and put on his trenchcoat. He glanced over at Jounouchi and shook his head. 

"I don't want Yuugi in my home. You can see them all you want this weekend, I have to meet Pegasus at the Championship."

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you were-"

"Just don't bring them here," Kaiba interrupted him and turned away.

"Can I at least try and call Honda? Bakura has his number, but it's long distance. We can afford that, Seto!"

"Honda?" Kaiba scoffed. "He abandoned you. That's why you don't see _me _depending on others. I'll be back on Monday." He slipped out the door without another word.

"Kaiba!" Jounouchi threw his shoe at Kaiba, only to have it hit the door as it was shut. He sighed and fell back onto the couch, staring at the high ceiling. "Honda, did you really…no. He's wrong about Honda, he'd never abandon me…not the guy I knew." Jounouchi rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Damnit, I don't care what he does to me." He sat up and grabbed the phone, quickly dialing the number to Kame Game Shop.

"H-hai, moshi-moshi." A sleepy, timid voice answered.

"Bakura! Do you still have Honda's phone number?"

"Jounouchi-kun? Hai… Honda-kun's number? It's been years since he gave it to me, he probably forgot he ever did, it may not work anymore."

"I don't care, let me at least try." Jounouchi grabbed a pen and wrote down the ten numbers quickly as Bakura relayed them. "Arigatou!" He hung the phone up and frowned, looking at the clock. He wasn't really sure what time it was in San Francisco, nor did he even have proof that this was the right number. He held his breath and dialed, knowing Kaiba would kill him when the phone-bill came.

"This number has been disconnected…" A shrill recording greeted him, much to his dismay.

"Honda…no! Where are you?!" Jounouchi slammed the phone down and burst through the front door, leaving Kaiba's mansion behind.

Jounouchi walked along the streets, not knowing where he was even going. He sighed and kicked loose gravel across the sidewalk and sat down in a park bench. He rubbed his temples and held his face in his hands. He glanced upward as he heard two girls walking down the sidewalk.

"I'm serious! There's this new therapist in town that accepts walk-ins. My sister went in to see him."

"Really? He must be hoping to get some regular customers quickly by doing that."

"My sister says he's really sweet and cute too! I may have to give him a visit…"

"Where is his clinic anyway?"

"Near the docks, there's a sign hanging off the building, so you can't miss it. I'll take you when I go."

Jounouchi blinked as the girls disappeared out of hearing range. _Therapist? Maybe he can help figure out what the hell's wrong with me. _He stood and looked around to get his bearings and headed for the docks to see if he could find the building. He finally spotted the sign saying "Crawford Therapy" and blinked, thinking there was something familiar about the name. He shrugged to himself and went inside, not bothering to read the name on the front door. He stepped up to the receptionist and coughed to get her attention.

"Can I get an appointment to see the therapist?" Jounouchi asked, hoping it was true about the clinic accepting walk-in patients.

"You can go in after the last person is done. Name please?"

"Jounouchi Katsuya."

"Have a seat there, it shouldn't be long." The receptionist indicated a small couch and went back to her work. Jounouchi walked over and sat down, tapping his fingers impatiently on his knee. He stared blankly at the wall for a good ten minutes before the door opened and someone stepped out. He saw the receptionist stand and go into the room and peered around the door. He ducked back out of the way as she came back into the waiting area.

"Katsuya?" A male voice with a strange muddled American accent came from the room. Jounouchi blinked at being called by his first name, but stood and made his way inside. The therapist glanced at Jounouchi, making the blond blink again. This man was just about the same age he was, had thick shoulder-length brown hair and bright hazel eyes accented by a pair of glasses. Jounouchi sat down opposite him and noticed he was being looked at very oddly._ He looks almost familiar…but why is he staring at me like that?_

"Um…" Jounouchi tried to think of what to say.

"Baka Jounouchi, it's me, Honda." He laughed and smirked at the clueless look on his friend's face.

"Honda?" Jounouchi blinked and launched himself at him and shook him hard. "I thought you were in America, why didn't you call me, you bastard?!"

"Oh, like I'm going to call Kaiba's mansion!" Honda shoved Jounouchi off of him. "Anyway, I was in America, but I wasn't doing too well there. I tested out of most of my classes early and only got a few scholarships. Nobody would ever hire me, so I had to live on the leftover money I had. Couldn't even live on campus, I had to find the dankest area with the cheapest rent just so that I'd have money for food."

"Geez…so how'd you get back?"

"Pegasus brought me. He created a job here for me too so that I could find a place to live here."

"What about your mom?"

"I can't live with her forever, Jounouchi. But wait, why are you here?"

"I don't know, I just…I've had it with Kaiba bossing me around and treating me like shit."

"Took you this long to figure out he's a jerk?" Honda idly pushed his glasses back on his nose. This earned him a slam on the back of the head from Jounouchi. Honda laughed and grabbed Jounouchi in a headlock. "Tell you what, you go wait at Yuugi's shop and I'll meet you there tonight." Jounouchi squirmed out of the headlock and smirked.

"Well see you later then, and you'd better show up or else, Honda."

"I'll be there, I swear."

Jounouchi smiled at him and walked out the doors, heading for the Kame Game Shop.


	3. Why didn't you call?

Chapter 3

The afternoon was fairly quiet and uneventful. Honda ran a hand over his hair and smiled as it had now been returned to the shape it was when he was younger. The bell above the door announced Honda's entrance into the shop. 

"Honda!" The voices of Jounouchi, Bakura, Yuugi and Anzu chorused as he appeared. Honda laughed as the four of them ran to hug him.

"It's been a long time, we missed you, Honda-kun." Bakura smiled brightly.

"How have you been?" Yuugi went to the door to close the shop so that they could talk privately.

"Now that I'm home, I'm great." Honda grinned and gave a sideways glance to Jounouchi. "Though Jounouchi didn't recognize me with my hair down and my reading glasses."

"Come on, lets go into the house." Bakura waved his arm and led them out of the shop area.

"It's nice to see you, Honda. It's been too long!" Anzu sat down and smiled to him. The rest of the boys filed in and took their own seats, Honda sitting nearest to Jounouchi.

"Anzu…didn't you go to New York?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't stay away long, I missed everyone too much."

"Well, I can sympathize, it's good to be back." Honda realized his best friend was being much too quiet and turned to look at him. "What's wrong, Jounouchi?" For a split second that seemed to drag on much longer, everything was deathly quiet. Honda hadn't expected the punch in the jaw that sent him backwards nearly over the arm of the couch.

"Jounouchi! What's wrong with you?" Anzu yelled at the blond and rose to her feet. Jounouchi ignored her, then leaned over Honda and cornered him in the couch.

"Just because you're back, do you think everything's alright now? All these years, no word from you or anything!" He stood up and stormed up the stairs to Yuugi's room to be alone. Honda sat up and rubbed his jaw. He frowned and sighed as he eyed the staircase.

"He's still the same as ever, I see…" Honda groaned and winced at feeling the bruise where he had been punched. Bakura walked to the kitchen to grab a plastic bag of ice and came back into the room to hand it to Honda who nodded a thanks to him and held the ice to his jaw.

"He's probably just in shock or something, Honda-kun. After leaving Kaiba and then seeing you so suddenly with no warning."

"Yeah." Honda shrugged and looked away from Bakura. "Earlier he was so excited to see me."

"Let me go talk to him," Bakura whispered and moved away from him.

"Good luck." Honda laid down in the couch and stared blankly at the ceiling. Bakura shook his head and ascended the stairs to find Jounouchi.

Jounouchi was laying in Yuugi's bed face down in the pillows and didn't notice Bakura's entrance. Bakura walked over to him slowly and heard muffled sobs. He bit his lip before reaching out to touch Jounouchi's arm.

"Jounouchi-kun?" He took a step backwards when a startled Jounouchi lashed his arm out.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want, Bakura?" Jounouchi sat up in the bed.

"I wanted to talk to you about Honda-kun."

"Well you can forget it."

"But I really think you-"

"Bakura, I'll knock you down the stairs if you don't leave me alone." Jounouchi held his fist up warningly.

"Jounouchi-kun…" Bakura swallowed and shook his head. "No I won't leave you alone, I'm not afraid of you. Why don't you want to talk about it?"

"I…" Jounouchi sighed and fought the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "I missed him damnit. After all we'd been through together, he just up and left. When Seto, no…" He shook his head at saying his first name. "When Kaiba and I got together, I thought Honda would still be there whenever I needed him. I should feel happy that he's back, but…maybe what Kaiba said is true, he did abandon me."

"Jounouchi! I don't think that's true at all. Will you at least talk to him about this?"

"Yeah sure, send him in." Jounouchi sighed, he was too mentally worn out to argue.

"Promise not to punch him again?" Bakura smiled slightly as he walked to the door.

"Nope, sorry. Can't make any promises about that." Jounouchi shook his head and smiled as Bakura went back downstairs. The blond sighed and laid back down in the bed, rubbing his temples.

"What is wrong with me? I'm such an ass."

"Oh? You've been with Kaiba too long then." Honda smirked as he walked through the door and sat on the bed near him.

"Hey, I'm sorry about punching you."

"That's okay, I've had far worse pain." Honda smiled thinly to himself. He gasped when he felt Jounouchi pull him down into the bed beside him and grip his neck tightly in his arms.

"Don't ever leave me like that again, you bastard." Jounouchi nuzzled his teary eyes into Honda's neck, making the brunet dumbfounded at this sudden outburst of emotion. Honda quietly rubbed Jounouchi's back and waited for him to calm down.

"I don't plan to leave again, don't worry."

"Why did you leave in the first place? I thought we'd always be together, ya know?"

"Well…" Honda flushed slightly, wondering if Jounouchi realized how that sounded. Jounouchi caught the look in his eyes and shoved him.

"Not like that! Just tell me why."

"I thought you didn't need me anymore," Honda whispered and rubbed the back of his head.

"Why wouldn't I need you?"

"Kaiba," Honda said flatly. "I figured if you had him, why should I be around?"

"…Honda?" Jounouchi blinked. "What does Kaiba have to do with it?"

"Everything." Honda stood up and looked at Joey. "Whenever I thought about you, I saw him…on top of you. Every night the thought made me physically ill. I left because I couldn't stand the thought of you with another man." He bit his lip at what he had admitted.

"Wait…did you…?" Jounouchi sat back up and felt his chest tighten as he realized what he had never seen before that moment.

"Did I what? Did I love you? No." He saw Jounouchi's head droop. Honda lifted his chin and gazed into his eyes. "I still do." Honda leaned closer and gently kissed his best friend, holding him in his arms.

"Honda…" Jounouchi's eyes filled with tears again as he held onto him for fear he'd suddenly disappear.

"Don't worry, Jounouchi. I'll protect you…" Honda sat on the bed and let the blond rest his head on his shoulder. "I'll always protect you."


	4. A happy ending?

Update: This fic has been altered slightly to include a better version of the sword fight. Chocolate-chip Cookies to anyone who can guess where the fighting style was inspired from. This fic is complete, but I'm thinking of doing it's sequel now.

Everything had suddenly gotten very dark. Jounouchi found he couldn't see even the nose in front of his face. He started walking, holding his arms outstretched in case he was going to run into something. _Where are you?_ Jounouchi wasn't sure where he even was, but the area beneath him felt hard like wood. He thought if he kept walking, he'd at least hit a chair or a wall, but nothing seemed to come near him. No sounds were present around him either, not even his footsteps made a noise on the floor below. _Honda?_ He held his hands to his ears as a nearby gunshot broke the silence. Jounouchi winced and searched the darkness for the source of the sound. Dim light began to penetrate the room he was in as several candles had been lit at once. Cold blue eyes stared at Jounouchi as a hand rested on the smoking gun, ready to fire again. **_Kaiba?_**

"He can't help you now." Kaiba stepped aside to reveal Honda's shivering body, a pool of blood forming around him.

"You- you bastard!" Jounouchi screamed at Kaiba, tears forming in his eyes.

"It's your fault, _make inu_." Kaiba aimed the gun at Jounouchi and pulled the trigger.

"No!" Honda screamed from the floor and with inhuman strength, stood and shoved Jounouchi aside, took the blow himself and collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.

"_Honda_!" Jounouchi screamed and woke up in a sweat. He panted hard as he looked around and gave a sigh of relief when he saw Honda in the bed lying next to him. Honda hadn't heard him scream apparently, or he hadn't screamed out loud after all. Jounouchi held a hand to his chest and balled a fist around his shirt. _It was just a dream. Kaiba wouldn't do that._ He curled close to Honda and closed his eyes, hoping he could go back to sleep. _...Would he…?_

Morning came slowly, the sky stayed pitch black as a violent thunderstorm overpowered the sun. Jounouchi woke up, nearly curled up in a fetal position against Honda. He heard crashes of thunder outside and was reminded of the gunshot in his dream. _Wait, was it storming all night? _He tried to convince himself that the thunder was the cause of his dream. Honda woke not long after and reached to stroke Jounouchi's hair.

"Honda…" The blond smiled as the other touched him and slid off the bed.

"Something wrong, Jounouchi?" Honda sat up and cocked his head curiously at him.

"No, I'm fine." Jounouchi smiled and looked around, wondering where the others had slept. "Geez…we kind of took over Yuugi's room, didn't we?"

"Guess we did…well lets go down and see if the others are awake." Honda stood and clasped Jounouchi's hand and led him back downstairs.

Bakura was curled up nuzzling against a pillow on the floor. Anzu was nowhere in sight, she had gone to sleep in Yuugi's mother's old room and hadn't yet waken. Yuugi stepped into the room and smiled as he saw Honda and Jounouchi emerge from the stairwell.

"Ohayo Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun. I made breakfast if you want to…" Yuugi trailed off and laughed as both men dashed for the kitchen. "Try and leave some for Anzu and Ryou!" Yuugi smiled and made his way into the main game shop to unlock the door. Anzu came into the main room and yawned, taking a seat on the couch, smiling as she saw Bakura cuddling his pillow. Yuugi came back in and grinned at her.

"How can he sleep in this storm?" Anzu whispered.

"You don't need to whisper, he's just a deep sleeper." Yuugi knelt down and gently shook Bakura. "Ryou, wake up. You need to go eat before Honda-kun and Jounouchi-kun finish off breakfast."

Bakura yawned and blinked his eyes open, reaching up to place a soft kiss on Yuugi's lips.

"Ohayo, Yuugi. Breakfast?" Bakura looked down at his watch. "But it's almost noon…"

"That's okay. All of you just woke up, so it's breakfast to you." Yuugi smiled at Bakura and hugged him. "You'd better hurry."

"Un." Bakura nodded then smiled and rose to his feet, headed for the kitchen.

"You too, Anzu."

"Hope it's not too late," Anzu stood up and shook her head with a chuckle and made her way to join the others.

The phone began to ring in the other room. Yuugi stepped into the shop and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hai, moshi-moshi."

"Yuugi. I know the pup is there. I need to speak with him."

"Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi frowned. This wasn't going to be good. Maybe he could stall Kaiba. "Jounouchi-kun's eating right now; can I take a message for him?"

"That figures. Look. I'm coming home early; I'll stop by your shop to pick him up."

As soon as Yuugi put the phone up, Jounouchi and Honda walked into the game shop. Yuugi winced inwardly not having even the time to go through what he was going to tell them. Jounouchi automatically caught the look on his friend's face.

"Yuugi, what's wrong?"

"Kaiba-kun…he's coming here to get you…" Yuugi's eyes glanced to the floor.

"Shit…he said he wouldn't be back until Monday." Jounouchi looked at Honda. "What are we going to do?"

"First, we wait for him to show up." Honda grabbed Jounouchi's hand and took him back to the main room once more and sat him on the couch. "While we're waiting, tell me why you went with Kaiba if you're now so scared of him?"

"I'm not scared--"

"Jounouchi…" Honda interrupted him and waited for an answer.

"It was safer."

"Safer than what?" Honda blinked and sat down beside him.

"If Kaiba rejected me, it wasn't a big deal. But if I had gone to you…and you rejected me…" Jounouchi's head fell down on Honda's shoulder as he fought the forming tears in his eyes. "I didn't want to lose our friendship if you didn't feel the same."

"Jounouchi, I would have never…" Honda sighed and hugged the blond close to him. Whatever happened in the past was done, Honda had Jounouchi now and there was nothing Kaiba could do about it. Honda bit his lip and listened for the sound of an engine pulling up. Several minutes dragged by and a small caterpillar Honda had been watching made its way to the opposite side of the room. Jounouchi had nearly fallen back to sleep against Honda when a limousine pulled up in front of the shop.

"He's here…"

Jounouchi stirred and sat straight up when he realized who "he" was, his eyes widened as he realized he still did not know what they were going to do, or what Kaiba would do. Honda stood and looked down at his best friend then helped him up and gently squeezed his hand to reassure him it would be alright. Within moments, Seto Kaiba stepped into the doorway, cold blue eyes staring at the both of them.

"Honda," Kaiba said simply, his eyes narrowing at the other brunet. "What are you doing back here?"

"I've come to see my friends, Kaiba. Is that any business of yours?" Honda's hazel eyes locked onto Kaiba's blue ones, neither one backing down from this staring contest. Jounouchi watched both of them intently and wondered what was going to happen next. Jounouchi squeezed Honda's arm tightly, causing Kaiba to turn away and look at him. Kaiba scowled at Jounouchi and looked back at Honda.

"Whether you visit Yuugi is no concern of mine, but the puppy belongs to me."

"He is not, Kaiba. I came back to face the past and I am not letting him stay with you any longer."

"Duel me for him."

"What?"

"I said duel me. If you win, you can keep the mutt." Kaiba made no show of emotion as he watched Honda and Jounouchi.

"We're not kids anymore, Kaiba. This is about more than some stupid card game that put us through hell and back."

"Then I have another proposal. You will duel me with swords instead of cards, to the death."

"Honda, this is stupid! You don't need to get yourself killed for me!" Jounouchi shook Honda by the shoulders roughly.

"No, I have to. It's the only way he'll give you up, if I win you in a duel. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

"Come with me, we'll take my limo back to the mansion and duel there." Kaiba turned away and headed back out the door, his long trenchcoat swooping along behind him.

Once at the mansion, Kaiba led Honda and Jounouchi to a fencing court. Honda was given choice of swords and looked at each one. There were katanas, rapiers, and other less-dangerous weapons. Honda chose the katanas and handed one to Kaiba. Jounouchi folded his arms as he watched from the side.

"I'm not an object you know, you don't need to duel for me!"

"Quiet, puppy." Kaiba gave him a dark look that only made him growl louder.

Honda took his position, looked at Kaiba, then narrowed his eyes.

"Are you ready?" Honda stood in a basic kendo stance as he waited for Kaiba to do the same. The duel began, both men dueling their best and showing no signs of weakness. Honda blocked every one of Kaiba's blows and dodged to try and get a better stance and go on the offensive. Kaiba wasn't about to let him through easily, but Honda's strength was greater and Kaiba began to get pushed back.

"I don't want you to kill each other damnit! You two are such idiots!" Jounouchi continued to shout from the sidelines though neither seemed to hear him. "I swear you must be related…"

Kaiba crossed his sword against Honda's and smirked as he pushed the other brunet backwards.

"You're not suited to fighting with swords," Kaiba mocked. "Only the lowest forms of street fighting."

Honda growled and stepped back and moved into an offensive position, moving around Kaiba to get behind him and lunged for an attack. Kaiba only smirked and moved his hand onto the katana's blade, ignoring the blood that formed as he squeezed it, shortening the length of the sword to block every one of Honda's attacks. Honda's eyes widened as he saw Kaiba's move and leapt backwards, watching his moves. Kaiba then began moving back and forth as he attempted to confuse Honda's perception. Honda closed his eyes and listened for the air around Kaiba to change and swung his sword around just enough to drive Kaiba off of the attack.

"You were saying?" Honda smirked.

Honda eventually got far enough in to scratch Kaiba across the arm, drawing a thin layer of blood. Kaiba let a smirk past his lips that he made sure to hide, then closed his eyes and fell to his knees in defeat.

"Kill me quickly."

"Kaiba…I'm not going to do that…"

"It was a duel to the death and I lost."

"I'm not killing you." Honda shook his head and set the swords down. He stepped over to Jounouchi and promptly got his head smacked by the blond. Both Honda and Jounouchi then headed out of Kaiba's property. Kaiba opened his eyes again and watched them go silently as a figure came up on him from behind.

"You knew you couldn't win."

"I did." Kaiba didn't bother to look at the voice's owner. A bandage was wrapped around the small wound Kaiba had been given.

"You lost on purpose. That barely broke your skin."

"Don't remind me." Kaiba snorted.

"Did you love him?"

"I did…once. But he deserves someone who can take better care of him. I'm not that person. I need someone that can put up with me and take care of himself.

"Someone like me?"

Kaiba closed his eyes and nodded.

"Someone like you…Pegasus."

Jounouchi and Honda made their way back to Yuugi's game shop and noticed they had a visitor. A visitor with long black hair, black and red clothes, and vibrant green eyes.

"Otogi?" Honda blinked as he walked towards him with Jounouchi.

"Hon…Honda?" Otogi blinked back as he caught sight of the brunet. Otogi ran over and hugged Honda tightly. "I haven't seen you in years!"

"Otogi…I need to breathe…" Honda's eyes widened as Otogi had squeezed his arms tightly around his neck. Otogi stood back and smiled sheepishly. Jounouchi looked in the main room and blinked.

"Otogi…where's my sister?"

Otogi flinched and didn't answer him, going to try and sneak past to join Yuugi and Bakura. Jounouchi, however, grabbed Otogi's collar and shoved him against the wall.

"Where's Shizuka?"

"She's…" Otogi whimpered and looked Jounouchi in the eyes. "She's gone with Anzu back to New York…" Jounouchi blinked and let go of Otogi who just slid to the floor. Honda and Jounouchi exchanged glances as Otogi started to cry. Honda pulled Otogi back up to stand.

"Don't worry, Otogi. You can stay with us until things get better…"


End file.
